Something
by Juliet's Shadow
Summary: Was it possible for Tom Riddle to have loved someone? One-Shot.


Something about forever terrified me. Just the thought of something infinite, existing from before time was even fathomable to something that would last after we have all been shattered into nothing, turned to darkness and turned to oblivion, scared me. It didn't scare him, though.

I don't know what is about that mysterious Slytherin who has captivated me so. Maybe it is the way his eyes light up when classes discuss the potential of forever. He looks at it like it could be a real possibility. He asks questions furthering his studies to go into this. The boy is something of a genius, but he also terrifies me.

Tom Riddle and I are both members of the Slug Club. Now reasons for Tom Riddle being a member were obvious. He is a genius, as well as incredibly handsome and talented. My reasons for being part of the Slug Club were unknown. I am not particularly special. I am merely a Quidditch Player- seeker for the Hufflepuffs. Maybe I have an inkling of talent, but it can be easily ignored when looking at how everyone else on our teams plays. They're the real stars and champions. Even so, it is probably what made Horace Slughorn notice me in the first place. It's probably what made Tom Riddle notice me in the first place.

"Katherine!" I hear my name being called. The voice is smooth, like honey, free of any arrogant thoughts that I know possess the voice's master. I stop and turn around, letting Tom Riddle catch up to me. "Katherine, hi."

I give him a small smile and a low blush. "Hello, Tom," I say. I press the books I'm carrying close to my chest. Currently, I'm on my way to the library. I want to check out fiction books that distract the mind from the evils of the world. The kind of books that will keep one up all night, reading until the candle that lights the pages with its glow is nothing more than a small lump of wax. The library was where Tom and I met.

"Would you like me-me to carry your books, Katherine?" he asks me. I notice he stutters slightly, as if he is a typical nervous school boy. I've never heard Tom Riddle stutter over any word. It makes me giggle.

"If you would like to carry them, then be my guest. I'm just headed off towards the library." Tom takes the books from me and smiles an even bigger smile. It's not the kind of smile he uses in front of teachers or other students- that smile doesn't completely reach his eyes- but a smile that makes Tom look like he is seventeen instead of the thirty year old he pretends to be. It's a smile I've only seen Tom Riddle use in front of me.

"I was reading this book, Katherine. It was fascinating. Did you know that there is a stone that can make one live forever? The Sorcerers Stone, that's what they call it. If I have the Sorcerers Stone, I could live forever." He talks about this like it couldn't be disastrous. It terrifies me, the thought of living forever, and I've told Tom that.

"I don't know, Tom. The thought of living forever I think, while fascinating, is terrifying. Wouldn't one eventually get tired of being alive? Wouldn't they eventually wonder what is on the other side?" I adjust my yellow and black scarf around my neck nervously, just to have something to do with my hands.

"That's the thing, Katherine. It doesn't terrify me. It makes me think that I could experience all life could ever have to offer. I could see what the future holds. I could see what is beyond here. The thought doesn't terrify me, especially how I imagine it." Tom looks at me, stopping suddenly in the hall, next to a window seat in-between the library and our previous class. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Tom. Anything."

He picks me up at my waist and seats me on the window seat. Outside I can see snow falling onto the land, catching the light, making everything beautiful. Snowflakes fall and find themselves catching on the window I'm looking out of. It's gorgeous. "Beautiful, huh?"

I nod. "Yeah. It's very pretty."

"Imagine being able to see every single winter that will ever come. Imagine being able to see every snowfall, Katherine. When spring comes, and all the flowers burst into bloom, you get to see all of those wonderful miracles of nature that I know you love so much. You would get to see every summer and see every red and gold leaf of autumn. Wouldn't that be amazing, Katherine?"

I turn my gaze toward him, expecting him to be looking out the window. Instead Tom is looking at me. "Where are you going with this?" I ask him. The idea of living forever doesn't sound so completely terrible now. Is it possible Tom has convinced me that forever could actually be beautiful?

"Katherine, this is going to sound crazy, but every time I imagine forever, I imagine it with you." I'm completely and utterly shocked by his words, but I'm also captivated and in awe of how perfect they are. I'm even more captivated when Tom kisses me in the light of the window. "I- I want you to know that I love you, Katherine. I really, really do." I don't know how to respond. Love? It's a bit quick for that, though I feel as though I've felt that wonderful emotion since I met Tom. "I have a potion brewing in my room. I would like you to come have a drink with me. This potion could help us live forever, Katherine. Fascinating, isn't it?"

I nod. I hold onto every word Tom says. "Very fascinating."

He takes me hand and leads me down to the Slytherin Dungeon, opening the room and escorting me inside. I ignore the daggered looks the Slytherins give me for invading their common room. I only see Tom. He opens the room to his dorm and places my things down gently on his bed. I allow myself one question. "If you have a potion that can make you live forever, why were you telling me about the Sorcerers Stone?"

Tom shakes his head and gives a smile. It's not the smile he reserves for me. The smile is the fake smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "Katherine, I need you to remember I love you, okay?"

I nod. He looks at me with eyes that look like they could spill over any second. "For this potion, I have to destroy something I love."

Something I love. Something I love. Then it hits me. For this potion to work he must kill that something. I'm that something.


End file.
